Grace
by forevermikeaelson
Summary: Kol/OC
1. Chapter 1

Glastonbury, England 1512

The sunset looked particularly beautiful this evening; I had a brief moment to admire it while taking the wastewater out. I stopped and looked at it, enjoying the last sunrays disappearing below the horizon. I was sometimes afraid of the dark, even though my papa had told me that the sun was like a traveler who never stopped moving, but no matter how dark the night would be, the sun would always return in the end. Maybe when the sun wasn't here it went to heaven to bring light to papa and mama. I looked up and waved, hoping that they could see me.

"Eva!" Uncle John shouted from inside. "Hurry up!"

Quickly I returned to the kitchen with my empty bucket, I had a lot of potatoes to peel before the tavern would be full. Uncle John was the innkeeper, he and my cousin Lena had taken care of the tavern after aunt Mary had died. They had taken me in after my parents had died and I was more than grateful, I knew that I wouldn't be alive now without them. Uncle John was a big and scary man, he had a short temper, but he only beat me up when I deserved it. I knew that I was slow and clumsy; I dropped steins and overcooked the stew. Cousin Lena was a barmaid, sometimes she dropped steins as well, but Uncle John wasn't mad at her.

I peeled the potatoes as quickly as I could and lifted the cauldron above the fireplace. It was getting dark so I lit up few candles and continued stirring the stew. I heard the usual cheerful voices coming behind the door, there seemed to be a lot of people here this evening. I wasn't allowed to leave the kitchen, according to Uncle John, his customers came here in order to forget their brats and nagging wives. I startled when the door suddenly opened and Uncle John marched in. He picked up a spoon and tasted the stew.

"It will do," he grunted. "Two portions and some bread."

I nodded and started to prepare the portions. He grabbed the plates and marched out. I yawned, wondering how long it would take this evening before I could go to sleep. I would have to wash the dishes and wake up early tomorrow morning; there were plenty of chores to do. I hummed quietly while placing few plates on the table, I was sure that they would be needed soon. Uncle John came in again, taking more food to hungry customers. The voices were getting louder as the men got drunker, but suddenly it was very quiet. That was weird, but the silence didn't last for long, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

"Innkeeper, steins for everyone!" a man's voice announced, followed by many loud cheers.

"A toast for the generous lords!" someone said.

Lords? There weren't usually many lords here; at least I didn't think so. Most of the customers were from the village, farmers, traders, craftsmen, soldiers and so on.

"Thank you, good people," the man's voice continued. "My brother and I are here tonight to have some fun and we want you all to join us!"

There were more cheers and toasts; I wondered what was going on. Everyone sounded cheerful and someone started to play lute. Had these lords brought this musician with them? People were clapping their hands and singing, the lords ordered more ale for everyone. I was curious to see what these lords looked like, but I didn't want to anger Uncle John so I stayed in the kitchen. The celebration went on and on, apparently no one wanted to eat anymore, so I moved the caldron away from the fireplace. Uncle John hadn't brought me any dirty dishes so I couldn't even start washing them. I yawned and nestled in front of the fireplace, I was exhausted.

"Is everyone having a good time?" I heard one of the lords asking.

"Yes!"

"Good. Then I think we can start the real festivities. What do you think, brother?"

"Oh yes."

What were they talking about; they had celebrated for at least two hours? I yawned and struggled to keep my eyes open, when a sudden scream startled me.

"Demons!" someone shouted.

"Oh, that is not a nice thing to say."

There were more screams and the most horrifying laughter I had ever heard. I got to my feet as quickly as I could and ran to the door. Why didn't I run outside, I had no idea, I only wanted to see that Uncle John and cousin Lena were alright. What I saw was too terrible to understand, there were bloody bodies and body parts lying all over the floor, some of them were still alive and tried to crawl towards the door. The man who was holding the lute whistled while guarding the exit, no one would get out. Then I saw the two lords, they were standing next to the counter, holding cousin Lena in their arms. Her eyes had widened in terror, she was trying desperately to breathe, I saw wounds on her neck.

"Would you like to play with us, darling?" the other lord asked, he had dark hair and dark eyes. Tears were coursing down cousin Lena's cheeks; she was looking straight at me. I didn't think, I simply acted, I had to help her. I shouted furiously and attacked, biting, scratching, and kicking them both. Some man attacked them at the same time, trying to hit them with his sword. They dropped cousin Lena on the floor and concentrated on the man, few seconds later he was dead. I continued fighting and apparently I succeeded to harm at least one of them, I tasted the blood in my mouth. They growled and one of them threw me on the counter. Before I could move, I felt a sting on my neck and on my wrist, they were biting me. I couldn't move or breathe, I felt myself fading away.

"Damn it… She is a child…"

That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move? Was there something wrong with my body? After a long struggle I managed to open my eyes, but I regretted it immediately, all I saw was a pair of glassy, dead eyes of a man who was lying on top of me. I tried to scream, but I couldn't make a sound, I was panicking. I wanted to push the man off me, but I couldn't move my hands. What had happened to me?

I smelled the dirt and death all around me, I was in a grave. When I saw some kind of insect squirming out of the man's nose, I screamed, although it filled my mouth with dirt. My hands and legs were moving furiously; apparently my panic gave me strength. Up, I needed to dig myself out of here. Which way was up? There were more dead eyes and bloody body parts everywhere; I was trapped in the middle of them. Hands, legs, heads… Was this hell? Silent sobs that escaped my throat shook my body, but my fingers kept digging desperately.

Some bodies were clearly older than others; they had already been partly decomposed. The smell was morbid; I fought the urge to vomit. But how could I have vomit, my mouth was full of dirt. There were all kinds of insects feeding on the bodies, the thought of them eating me alive made me panic even more. I cried and dug, praying that this was a nightmare. If this really was hell, there would be no way out, I would be here forever…

_"I am sorry,"_ I pleaded silently. _"Please, Lord, forgive me, I will do anything… Please do not leave me here…"_

Nothing happened, I cried even harder.

_"Mama, papa, please help me."_

They couldn't help me, they were in heaven and I was in hell, I couldn't understand what sin I had committed that was so bad. Why did I deserve this? My fingers were still digging, slowly I was moving up. Were there flames there, an eternal torture like father Thomas had said? I didn't stop digging; I couldn't stay here, even if there were flames up there. Finally my hand reached the surface, I felt raindrops hitting it. I used all my strength and pulled myself up from my horrible prison. The smell of death was everywhere, even though the pouring rain felt divine.

Somehow I managed to get on my trembling feet, my dress was torn and I was filthy. I didn't think that I could never be clean again. Cautiously I looked around, it was dark, but I recognized this place. It was the mass grave behind the cemetery, the place where people had been buried during the plague. No… I couldn't understand… No, I wasn't dead. I wasn't dead, I wasn't… I fell on my knees and threw up, my sobs turned into screams. What had happened to me?

* * *

6 months later

"Another attack?" Elijah asked calmly.

One of Niklaus' lackeys nodded.

"Yes, my lord, last night. This newborn vampire seems to be completely out of control."

Elijah frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, the matter needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. Why there were always fools who had to turn unstable humans?

"Does my brother know about this?"

The lackey, whose name was Digory, nodded.

"Yes, my lord, lord Klaus ordered me to gather a hunting party for tonight; we shall find and kill this newborn."

"Good," Elijah huffed. "He or she have already caused more than enough problems, there are all kinds of rumors spreading around amongst peasants."

Digory nodded.

"Yes, this newborn is certainly not subtle. Are you joining us for the hunt, my lord?"

Elijah hesitated, he wasn't sure if he wanted to spend his night chasing some unstable young vampire.

"Probably not," he replied carelessly.

Digory bowed respectfully and left. Elijah looked at his book that was lying on the table, but he didn't feel like continue reading. He sighed and walked in front of the fireplace, pondering how to spend his evening. Niklaus was in his chamber with his new favorite mistress, Kol and Rebekah were out and there were no social responsibilities this evening. Perhaps a ride in the woods… On the other hand, he could join that hunting party. After a moment of consideration he decided that the idea didn't sound so bad, at least it would be more interesting than sitting in the library by himself. Who knew, it might even be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

"We got it! This way!"

Elijah heard the hounds barking; apparently they had found their prey. Quickly he dismounted and left his horse to one of the younger vampires, he didn't even bother trying to recall his name. Everyone else had left their horses behind as well, they were all moving with their vampire speed. The night was starless and the moon was behind the dark clouds, there was no light except what few torches could supply. Elijah wasn't carrying one, he didn't have to, that was what Niklaus' lackeys were for.

They were all young and eager to please their master; Niklaus certainly knew how to take full advantage of that. His brother just loved the combination of being feared and worshiped; all these young vampires idolized him. Elijah didn't really care about such things, he was respected and obeyed; that was enough. He spent so much time being controlled and discreet that sometimes he truly enjoyed hunting like this, getting to use his speed and heightened senses. Elijah slowed down when he saw the hounds and their handler ahead. One of Niklaus' best trackers, a short, but deadly man called Hoyt was also with them; he was standing silently next to the entrance of a cave. He had probably located their prey before the hounds.

"It went there," he stated calmly. "There is no other way out."

Elijah looked at the cave, it seemed quite small, a bear's den perhaps. The hounds were barking furiously, but their handler seemed to be in control, as he definitely should be. Digory grinned and unsheathed his sword.

"Let's get it then."

The others followed his example and approached the entrance. Elijah wasn't sure if he wanted to go inside, this phase was always very messy, no doubt this newborn, as unstable as he might be, would fight like a cornered animal. On the other hand, Niklaus' lackeys had a tendency to play with their prey when Elijah preferred quick clean kills, at least in most cases. Usually these unstable vampires were abandoned by their makers, perhaps tortured before being turned. Elijah knew how sadistic some vampires, including his brothers, could be, but he himself found such behavior barbaric. Perhaps he should make sure that everything went smoothly…

"My lord?" Digory's voice said from the cave, he sounded a bit strange. "Perhaps you should take a look at this."

Elijah frowned and entered the cave.

"Take a look at what?"

All Niklaus' lackeys had gathered around one corner of the cave, they all had their swords on their hand and few of them were holding torches.

"This…I have never…" Digory muttered.

Elijah moved next to him and looked at the creature in the corner. It's back was arched and it was hissing like a cat, showing its little fangs and trying desperately to find a way to escape. Elijah's eyes widened in shock when he realized what he was looking at, underneath all that filth and dried blood there was a little girl. Her dark hair was dirty and tangled and she was almost naked, there were only some filthy rags, which had probably been a dress, hanging on her.

"Dear Lord…" Elijah muttered. "What kind of monster would…"

He couldn't even finish his sentence; he had never seen something like this before. What kind of sick vampire would turn a helpless child and then abandon her? Poor child was acting like an animal, who knew what she had been trough.

"What…what shall we do, my lord?" Digory muttered.

"Lower your weapons and get out, all of you," Elijah replied without hesitation. "Leave the torches."

None of them argued, they left as quickly as they could. Elijah could never recall seeing them so confused before, clearly this was new for them as well. The little vampire was observing their every move vigilantly, seeking for an opportunity to get away. After the others had left, she turned her gaze towards Elijah, the remaining threat. It took a moment before he managed to speak, the whole situation still felt unreal to him.

"Hello," he said as calmly and clearly as he could. "My name is Elijah and I am not going to hurt you. Do you understand?"

She didn't show in any way that she would have understood him, she simply stared at him.

"Everything is alright," he continued with the same calm tone. "You are safe; no one is going to harm you."

She didn't move, but her whole body was tense, she was prepared to defend herself. He wondered if she would be able to understand his words at all, who knew how shattered her mind was. Clearly her primal instincts had taken over, she only wanted to survive. He could tell that she hadn't been a vampire for very long, but obviously long enough, especially if she had spent that time by herself.

"Everything is alright," he repeated, hoping to get some kind of reaction. "Can you say something to me, sweetheart, anything?"

He took a step towards her, but that was a mistake, she growled and attacked him. Fortunately he was prepared for that, he caught her in the middle of her leap and pushed her gently but firmly against the wall, trapping her hands on her sides. She growled, hissed and struggled with all the might of her small body, but he didn't let go, she needed to realize that he was stronger than her, perhaps then he would get trough to her. It took a long while before she seemed finally getting tired, but she still didn't give up. She looked up and glared at him, still hissing and showing her fangs. Elijah smiled and revealed his own fangs. Her eyes widened in wonder or perhaps in fear, he wasn't sure.

"You see?" he said calmly. "I am just like you; there is no reason to be afraid."

She stared at him for a long time and for the first time he saw some kind of clarity in her eyes. Her mouth opened, it seemed almost as she would have tried to remember how to use words.

"Hurt?"

That one, insecure word held more emotion than anything Elijah had ever heard before. He swallowed and shook his head.

"No, sweetheart, I am not going to hurt you, I swear."

Slowly her eyes were watering up; she tried to move her hand. He released her from his grip and she jumped on him again, but this time she wrapped her little arms tightly around him.

"Papa?"

Elijah felt a sting in his heart; gently he stroked her tangled hair and lifted her in his arms. She was so small, like a doll.

"It's alright," he muttered. "Everything is going to be alright."


End file.
